A pilot episode for an American version (known to fans as Red Dwarf USA) was produced for NBC in 1992, though never broadcast. The show followed essentially the same story as the first episode of the original series, substituting American actors (including Craig Bierko as Lister, Chris Eigeman as Rimmer, and Hinton Battle as the Cat) for the British; exceptions being Llewellyn, who reprised his role as Kryten, and the British actress Jane Leeves, of Frasier fame, as Holly. It was directed by Jeffrey Melman and written and produced by Linwood Boomer of Malcolm in the Middle fame.
It was later revealed on the series V DVD that Chris Barrie had been offered the chance to reprise his role as Rimmer for the US series, but turned it down believing he would be under contract "for years" afterwards if the show was a success.
It was also revealed that Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, with the support of the cast, convinced the pilot's producers to use a revised script of their creation, but in the course of production the American team reverted back to their original script.
As a result of this the two hastily put together an extremely low-budget network promo consisting of scenes from the first pilot and the British show edited in with newly-filmed footage (featuring a new Rimmer and, from a suggestion made by the network, a female Cat, played by Terry Farrell). This was also unsuccessful.
Clips from the first pilot can be found on the DVD of series V in the featurette Dwarfing USA, along with interviews with the British cast and Doug Naylor. Bootlegs of the pilots are widely circulated among Red Dwarf fans, and sold at conventions, while some low-quality recordings can be found on the Internet for downloading.
